Meaning of JOSIAH

"Jehovah heals."
(a) Son and successor of Amun king of Judah. Enthroned at the age of eight around the year 638 BC, he apparently had the high priest Hilkiah as his advisor during his youth.

In the eighth year of his reign, he proposed to act according to the laws of God, and to reform the life of the court according to his will, with which he began to extirpate idolatry and everything contrary to the Law of God.

He continued in this effort over the years, not only in Jerusalem and Judah, but also in regard to the northern kingdom (2 Kings 22:1, 2; 2 Chron. 34:1-7, 33). In the eighteenth year of his reign, he took energetic measures to restore and beautify the Temple. In the course of the works, the high priest Hilkiah found the book of the Law in the sanctuary, and gave it to Shaphan, the scribe, who read it before the king.

Josiah was deeply touched by the prophecy announcing the terrible consequences of abandoning Jehovah. He tore his garments and humbled himself before God, who, in his mercy, gave him assurance that impending judgment would not fall during his lifetime (2 Kings 22:8-20; 2 Chron. 34: 15-28).

The prophecy that affected the king so much is found in chapters 28 to 30 of Deuteronomy, especially in Deuteronomy 29:25-28. The book found by Hilkiah, therefore, contained at least the fifth book of Moses, or perhaps the entire Pentateuch. In the time of apostasy and persecutions, under the long reign of Manasseh, the slogan had undoubtedly been to make the sacred books disappear and destroy (2 Kings 21:16; 2 Chron. 33:9).

Hilkiah probably discovered the copy of the Law that was assigned to the Temple. The scroll would have been hidden or thrown away during the desecration of the sanctuary (Deut. 31:9, 26), or perhaps, following ancient tradition, it would have been walled up during the construction of the first temple.

Critics claim that this "discovery of the book of the Law of Moses" under Josiah was just a pious hoax. The priests, according to critics, would have written Deuteronomy to falsely present it as a writing of Moses, with the aim of attributing greater importance to themselves. However, this theory lacks any foundation, and is directly in conflict with internal and historical evidence.

Reading the book gave new impetus to the reform already undertaken by Josiah. After swearing to worship only Jehovah, they seized all the objects of the worship of Baal, Astarte, and the entire army of heaven, and, burning them, they threw them into the Kidron torrent.

A campaign of destruction was unleashed against the Sodomites, and the high places were destroyed, not only in the territory of Judah, but also in the territory previously occupied by the ten tribes. At Bethel, Josiah exhumed the bones of idolatrous priests and burned them on the schismatic altar, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the man of God in the time of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 13:2).

He also did not hesitate to put to death on the altars the priests who sacrificed on them. After purifying the country, Josiah had a Passover celebrated as strictly observed as had not been seen since the time of Samuel (2 Kings 23:1-25; 2 Chron. 25:19-34:29).

Thirteen years after this, Josiah tried to resist Pharaoh Necho, who was going to fight against Assyria. Badly wounded in the battle at Megiddo, on the plain of Jezreel, he was taken to Jerusalem, where he died. He had reigned 31 years, turning 39 years old, in the year 608 BC. (2 Kings 22:1; 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-27; cf. Zech. 12:11).

Jeremiah and Zephaniah prophesied during the latter part of his reign (Jer. 1:2; 3:6; Zeph. 1:1). He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz. (See JOACAZ).
(b) Son of Zephaniah, in the time of the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 6:10).